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Fruit Monitoring News

The Portuguese Horticulture Association (APH) and the Spanish Society of Horticultural Science (SECH) will hold the IX Iberian Symposium on Ripening and Postharvest in Lisbon from 2 to 4 November 2016, to coincide with the III National Symposium and IX Spanish Symposium on this major business area in science. During the event, which is held every two years, leading researchers and ...

Citrus fruit exhibit low levels of ethylene production and are classified as non-climacteric fruit. Although the citrus fruits produce only small amounts of ethylene it is well known that the fruit do respond to ethylene. Such as non-climacteric fruits, ethylene exposure does not hasten fruit ripening but accelerates fruit senescence. Certain unwanted responses of citrus ...

More than half a million people worldwide are likely to die annually by 2050 because of the impact on agriculture of changing climate, according to an Oxford University study on the future of food. The authors say the effects are likely to be felt most acutely in south and east Asia, but that the US will also be severely affected. They identify reduced production and consumption of fruit and ...

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences economists estimate the Oriental fruit fly outbreak last year caused at least $4.1 million in direct crop damages in Miami-Dade County, but the damage could have been far worse, UF/IFAS researchers say. In the new report, UF/IFAS researchers and the chief economist for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, ...

'Honeycrisp' apples are among the most popular varieties in today's fresh fruit market. The apple's explosive crispness, juiciness, and flavor have made them a new favorite among consumers. However, the apples' distinctive characteristics are at peak only when they are properly grown, picked at optimum maturity, and stored under ideal conditions. A new research study in the August 2015 issue of ...

A study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has linked the spraying of three neonicotinoid pesticides to harmful effects on bees, increasing the pressure on the European Commission to expand a current EU-wide ban to all uses and crops, said Greenpeace. EFSA assessed the safety of pesticides thiamethoxam (produced by Syngenta), clothianidin and imidacloprid (both produced by Bayer) ...

Safety net measures for the European dairy, fruit and vegetables sectors will be extended into 2016. The European Commission is currently finalising the last details with a view to formally adopting the relevant legal decisions in the coming weeks as a matter of formality. The European Commission is aware of the challenges faced by European producers and to support them. For the fruit and ...

For producers of peaches and other orchard-grown produce, managing the orchard floor can present challenges. Unwelcome vegetation on the orchard floor competes with trees for water and nutrients reducing tree growth and productivity, and can be a host for pathogens and insect pests. Utilizing best practices for irrigation and vegetation management in the orchard helps growers to optimize tree ...

Following the introduction of kiwifruit to the world market from New Zealand in the 1950s, increased export of kiwi led to rapid expansion in consumer demand and production. One of the challenges for growers is kiwifruit's short storage life; the popular fruit is susceptible to severe disorders during storage. A new study from Iran recommends treatments that can extend storage life and improve ...

Plants are subjected to numerous environmental stresses -- drought, extreme temperatures, and excess light can all affect plant growth and quality. Looking for methods to improve the quality of tomato plants, researchers at the University of Tennessee turned to abscisic acid, a plant hormone known to help plants acclimate to these types of severe environmental stresses. The research results and ...

Black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) is native to much of the eastern United States and is highly valued for its nuts and timber. Black walnut fruit generally reach most of their size by mid-August and mature by late September or early October. The fruit are then harvested, hulled, and dried in-shell before cracking for commercial markets. Walnut growers use the term "ambers" to describe poorly ...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is registering a new active ingredient, fluensulfone, a non-fumigant nematicide that provides lower-risk chemical control of nematodes than methyl bromide and other Restricted Use soil fumigants. Under the Montreal Protocol, EPA has phased out methyl bromide because its use depletes the ozone layer. Nematodes are difficult to control and can cause ...

When it comes to foodborne illness, fresh produce belies its healthful aura: Fresh fruits and vegetables account for 24 percent of U.S. foodborne illness in which both the responsible food and contaminant are identified, according to a 2013 analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by theCenter for Science in the Public ...

A patch for detecting cocaine consumption from skin perspiration, a chip to identify pathogens in foods, a device for monitoring colon cancer via a patient's blood, and a sensor to detect environmental contamination via the analysis of marine algae. All four applications have something in common: they all arose from the same European research project, entitled LabOnFoil. This initiative, which ...

The European Commission has welcomed the adoption by Council of its proposal for a regulation establishing an EU framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The new framework retains and builds on the proven features of the existing data collection system. It also introduces ...